A plan to merge (or not) the universities of Adelaide and South Australia is due from them next month –  the pro case is picking up  

The Advertiser newspaper reported yesterday that the state’s Productivity Commission chair Adrian Tembel thinks the 8 per cent “wage gap” between SA and the national average “can be eased” by the merger.

Apparently the finding is in a “major report” handed to the premier.  That may well be the Commission’s report on “turning research into economic competitiveness.” The draft of which suggested,

“we would note that a merger, if designed and implemented competently, could create a catalyst for broader cultural change in the merged institution making some of our suggested reforms more likely to succeed. The merger could also potentially create cost savings for example through removing duplications of assets enabling more efficient use of facilities. If any such savings were used to fund applied, industry focused, research in the spirit of our reforms then the potential for the universities to drive improvement in the state’s economy would be further enhanced,” (CMM April 17).

The commission will release the final report in August but perhaps it will appear earlier if useful to support the merger case.